Tomorrow Today

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Evolution of the RCE community

Five years after the launch of the first RCEs, the RCE

community has achieved results that are significant,

innovative and often unanticipated by the develop-

ers of the concept. With growing membership – the

community is 77 members strong and growing – the

geographic, thematic and operational partnerships of

RCEs have been established.

Collaboration at the continental level was the first

form of inter-RCE engagement that emerged in a

variety of forms in the Americas, Europe, Africa and

Asia-Pacific. North American RCEs exchange infor-

mation and align their activities through regular

telephone conferences hosted, until recently, by

Environment Canada. African RCEs plan their sub-

regional coordinating meetings in conjunction with

other ESD events, such as those organized by the

Wildlife Society of South Africa (WESSA). The recent

consultation among African RCEs revealed the need

for an additional online communication platform that

would assist experience exchange between the meet-

ings and connect RCEs in various regions of Africa.

European and Asia-Pacific RCEs meet at the annual

face-to-face meetings hosted, in turn, by individual

RCEs. Communication across continents occurs

during the annual International RCE conferences

organized by the United Nations University Institute

of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), through the use of

ICT tools and projects and thematic activities.

The operational activities of RCEs are centred

around issues like fundraising, communication and

assessment. Working groups on each of these topics

comprise RCE representatives who bring into discus-

sion perspectives, concerns and lessons from their

regions. The annual meeting of RCEs provides an

opportunity to develop elements of operational strate-

gies that are later acted upon by the Global RCE Service

Centre at UNU-IAS and by the RCEs that have taken

on the responsibility of implementation. The topic

of assessment, in particular, has sparked the interest

of RCEs and those interested in their performance.

In-depth discussion among the partners has led to

the understanding that complex, dynamic and diverse

networks of RCEs would need a flexible and enabling

assessment system. Such a system, grounded in the

notions of self-assessment, networking, participation,

progressive learning and the importance of different

dimensions of sustainability, has been designed and is

currently being tested by RCEs.

Thematic collaboration among RCEs is guided by

generically defined topics such as biodiversity, health,

climate, sustainable production and consumption,

poverty, youth, e-learning, teacher training for ESD

and institutions of higher education. RCEs are primarily

responsible for defining priorities for actions and

modus

operandi

in each of the themes. Working with thematic

areas is not seen as compartmentalization of ESD but as

a way to understand and pursue a particular challenge,

for example health, in the context of ESD. It is also a

appropriate, flexible and innovative actions rather than rigidly formu-

lated norms for what should be done and achieved. Criteria for RCE

acknowledgement give local stakeholders the opportunity to design

an institutional mechanism for mobilization, coordination and learn-

ing that best fits the regional realities and ambitions.

While the geographical scope of RCE operations is defined by the

stakeholders, it has to satisfy a requirement of being large enough to

allow diversity and significance in the number of participating part-

ners but small enough to allow face-to-face interaction among them.

With rare exceptions, RCEs operate within sub-national territories

such as Saskatchewan (Canada), Wales (UK), Crete (Greece), Cebu

(Philippines) and KwaZulu Natal (South Africa).

Having local/regional educational and research actions as their primary

concern, RCEs contribute to the development of the Global Learning

Space (GLS) through exchange of experiences, collaborative research and

educational projects within and outside the RCE community.

In 2006, the Ubuntu Alliance – the consortium of leading inter-

national organizations representing educational and research

institutions – established the Committee of Peers for RCEs. The

Committee reviews applications for new RCEs and provides recom-

mendations to the UNU during the RCE acknowledgement process.

Advice from organizations that are considered leaders in the areas

of science, technology and ESD facilitates alignment of the RCEs’

goals with the broader DESD agenda and strategic implementation

of these goals.

In order to join the global RCE community, a network of local

stakeholders of ESD needs to address the following essential

elements of an RCE:

• Governance: establishment of governance principles and coordi-

nation mechanism among the partners

• Collaboration: engagement of both formal and non-formal

education organizations and a diverse array of partners, so that

the RCE addresses all three dimensions of sustainable develop-

ment (environment, economy and society) as a network

• Research and Development (R&D): incorporation of R&D activ-

ities to enhance ESD practices and to address capacity-building

for sustainability challenges in the region

• Transformative Education: awareness raising, training, and

reorientation of existing education for transition towards

sustainability.

Collaborative links within an RCE

Source: UNU-IAS